A Single Snowflake
by takaondo
Summary: A snowflake would eventually melt - all it took was a bit of warmth. In Rukia's case, all it took was Ichigo. Implied IchiRuki.


**DISC: **I don't own BLEACH.

**A/N:** Present for the BA club for the holidays. Just a short drabble that might hopefully tingle you. There may be errors here or there, its been a while since I've actually written.

**PS: **Aftermath will be updated soon for those who care.

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_**A Single Snowflake**_

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A single snowflake slowly floated down from the night sky, right into the hand of Kuchiki Rukia.

Her violet eyes stared curiously at it as it melted in the palm of her hand. She looked up, toward all the other snowflakes that were floating down. It was a cold night, yet the beauty of the scenery made that fact a minuscule inconvenience. She moved her feet childishly from where she sat, stepping on the new snow with slight amusement.

"..."

Her eyes lit up slightly as she heard some scraping sounds, just beyond the wall of the Kuchiki Manor. She watched in surprise as a familiar figure appeared. Ichigo grunted as he threw his arm over the wall, huffing slightly as he pulled himself onto it. With one leg swung over it, he finally noticed that Rukia was staring at him.

"Yo." He said, raising a hand up casually. Rukia's look of surprise never left her face.

"Ichigo…!" She said. Her eyebrows furrowed lightly in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." Ichigo said, jumping down. He slowly walked towards her, his steps crunching the newly fallen snow on the ground. "I thought you were going to stay with us for Christmas."

Ichigo sat down next to her on the wooden walkway of the Kuchiki Manor, sighing slightly as he leaned back on his hands. Rukia stared at him with a slight frown.

"I told you that I'm not allowed to stay in Karakura as I'm pleased. I was told to return to Soul Society." Rukia replied. She seemed to question his intentions. "Shouldn't you be with your family? Its Christmas Eve isn't it?"

"Ah." Ichigo answered.

"Then go back." Rukia said sternly. "You shouldn't be here."

Ichigo smirked at her demanding tone, having been the target of it several times.

"That may be, but I came here anyways. I wanted to come see you." Ichigo replied. Rukia looked at him humorously, unable to help the smile that crept onto her face.

"You fool." Rukia said, her eyes dancing. "Its dangerous enough to sneak in Soul Society without formal permission, but to sneak into the Kuchiki Manor without Nii-sama's permission is suicide."

"Mah... I'm not scared of him." Ichigo said, scratching his head lazily. Rukia smirked at him, finding it amusing how lax he was.

"So, what do I owe for such a visit?" Rukia asked, leaning forward curiously.

Ichigo turned to her, his amber eyes glowing determinedly. He smiled arrogantly at her, stirring a feeling of nostalgia within her.

"I came to see you." Ichigo said. "So I could ask you to come back with me."

Rukia seemed caught off guard by his statement, and frowned lightly in response.

"Ichigo..." Rukia ventured. "I –"

"Will say yes." Ichigo interrupted. He looked upwards toward the falling snow. "Christmas is not a time to be spent alone, regardless of orders, regardless of rules."

He grinned.

"Christmas is the time where you spend time with the person most important to you."

Rukia stared at him, her eyes lighting up with surprise. Ichigo glanced at her, noticing her expression. His own eyes widened slightly as he quickly turned to hide his face.

"I – I mean the people important to you!" Ichigo said loudly, getting up to put some distance between them. Rukia couldn't help smiling sheepishly at him. Ichigo remained silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"So... will you come back with me?" Ichigo asked in slight annoyance. He turned to her with a scowl, though his face still held some embarrassment. "Or will I have to drag you back forcefully?"

Rukia only smiled, reaching a hand out towards him. Ichigo seemed surprised at her lack of resistance.

"Alright." She replied. "I'll go."

Ichigo smirked as his hand reached out tentatively to hers. He grasped her hand gently, pulling her up.

"Let's go then, Rukia." Ichigo said.

Ichigo pulled her along gently across the snow, his hand still wrapped softly around hers. He squeezed her hand affectionately, and she squeezed back in response.

"Are you afraid I'll be running away?" Rukia asked humorously.

"I'm just keeping your hand warm, idiot." Ichigo replied. "That's all."

Rukia smiled at him, feeling that it was not just only her hand that was warmed by Ichigo…

"If you say so, fool."

But her heart as well.

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Merry Christmas! I can only hope you enjoyed it.


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